Cult
social group with socially deviant or novel religious, philosophical or spiritual beliefs and practices
Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term has different, divergent and often pejorative definitions both in popular culture and academia and has been an ongoing source of contention among scholars across several fields of study.
Beginning in the 1930s, new religious movements became an object of sociological study within the context of the study of religious behavior. Since the 1940s, the Christian countercult movement has opposed some sects and new religious movements, labeling them cults because of their unorthodox beliefs. Since the 1970s, the secular anti-cult movement has opposed certain groups, which they call cults, accusing them of practicing brainwashing.
Groups labelled cults are found around the world and range in size from small localized groups to some international organizations with up to millions of members.
Definition and usage
The word cult is derived from the Latin term cultus, which means 'worship'. In modern English, the term cult is generally a pejorative carrying derogatory connotations. The term is variously applied to abusive or coercive groups of many categories, including gangs, organized crime, and terrorist organizations.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Cult” is social group with socially deviant or novel religious, philosophical or spiritual beliefs and practices. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Cult, social and group, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “social group with socially deviant or novel religious, philosophical or spiritual beliefs and practices” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11038979. The Library of Congress control number is sh85034719. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cult”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cult primary sources, Cult archive and Cult research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cult”?
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- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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This entry incorporates text from “Cult” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.